Self-locking end fittings for web tiedowns



July 25, 1967 NORI HIGUCHI 3,

SELF-LOCKING END FITTINGS FOR WEB TIEDOWNS Filed Feb. 25, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Now Hmucm BY M8% A TOP/V5) July 25, 196 NORI HIGUCHI 3,332,123

SELF-LOCKING END FITTINGS FOR WEB TIEDOWNS Filed Feb. 25, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I T; 5 g x 5 I l I I I I X i i I, l I l 23 i 7 i 2a 34 a1 Tl "-2; f 35 6 i l6 INVENTOR. NoFel HIGUCHI "II; 1 H TOPNEV United States Patent York Filed Feb. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 530,017 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-265) The objects of the invention herein disclosed have been to provide a low cost, safe and secure end fitting for web tiedowns and one which could be quickly and easily connected with a track or other form of anchorage and which would automatically lock itself and hold in the securing position by the mere act of connecting it with the anchorage.

A further purpose has been to provide such fittings which while secure in holding, could be quickly and easily releasedand which would be small and compact and consist of but few simple parts.

These and other desirable objects have been accomplished by the combination of a channel member and a plate member slideably confined therein; these members having corresponding slots for the webbing and having holding projections engageable with the shoulders of a supporting anchorage; all arranged so that the compressible web alone or assisted by a spring may yieldingly hold the members in the securing position but may yield to permit relative shiftingof the members to a released position.

Other novel features ofthe invention and further desirable objects accomplished, are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification are illustrative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, but it will be apparent that structure may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration; all within the true intent and scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing one of the end fittings in the normal, locked engagement with an anchorage, the latter in section.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the locking member shifted in the outer, containing channel member, against the opposing pressure of the compressible web to enable release of the fitting from the anchorage structure.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the fitting with web broken away, as in preceding views.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the disassembled two members of the fitting.

FIG. 5 is a broken, part section, front view of a modi fied form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a section on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a section on line 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a face view of the locking slide.

The outer, channel member 7 is shown as made of relatively light sheet metal folded squarely at the bottom to form the two spaced parallel side walls 8 and 9 joined at the bottom by a short connecting wall 10.

The other member 11, which in this case is the locking member, is shown as a fiat plate of somewhat heavier material, slidingly fitted in the channel between the opposing spaced side walls.

Both members have slots for the webbing 12, substantially equal in length to the width of the webbing and wide enuogh to snugly receive a loop of the webbing and to permit a slight wrinkling or bowing of the webbing when under compression elfected by relative sliding movement of the two members.

The slots 13, 14 in the side walls of the channel members are directly opposite and are thus designed to firmly support a bridging portion of the web extending across the channel.

The web slot 15 in the plate member is laterally ,oliset in that member so that when aligned with the slots in the channel member, this plate will stand in a projecting position, such as shown in FIG. 1, with the projecting end at 16 providing a convenient finger hold for pushing this member into the non-protruding position shown in FIG. 2.

In this non-protruding relation, the overall length of the members is reduced sufiiciently to pass between the spaced supporting shoulders 17, 18 of the anchorage, as indicated in FIG. 2.

The slide plate carries locking shoulders 19, 20, provided by the notches 21, 22 in the opposite ends of this plate, engageable in back of the anchorage shoulders, as shown in FIG. 1, when the members are in the extended relation, FIG. 1, with the web slots in the two members in aligned relation.

The flexible compressible web acts as a spring to yieldingly hold the parts in position interlocked with the achorage but will yield under hand pressure to retract the slide and permit the fitting then to be disengaged from the anchorage.

' While in this instance the slide has been shown as the locking member, it is contemplated that the action may be reversed and the channel made to act as the locking member.

The double walls of the channel provide good support for the web and the slide provides additional supporting surface for the web so that wear on the web is reduced to a minimum.

The channel being of light sheet metal keeps the weight down and the plate, to carry the full load is of heavier materials. I

The device as a whole is small and light in weight so as not to add objectionable bulk or weight to the web end.

FIGS. 2 and 4 show the notch in the right hand end of the plate as deeper than the notch in the other end to permit the necessary sliding movement to unlock the two members.

. The fitting may be readily engaged with the anchorage by first engaging the right hand notched end over the edge of the anchorage and then rocking the fitting to locate the other end within the slot in the anchorage and whereupon pressure to hold the lock plate in retracted position may be released, enabling the web in restoring itself to normal fiat condition to act as a spring sliding the lock plate back into projecting interlocked engagement with the anchorage shoulder at that end of the fitting.

While the compressible webbing normally employed is sutficiently resilient to provide all necessary spring eiiect for positively holding the fitting in locked engagement with the anchorage, additional spring force may be provided, if considered necessary, by the construction shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, which is like that described, with a spring as a separate element acting on the slide.

In these views the slide is designated 23, having a projecting finger hold 24 at one end, a web slot 25, a movement restricting slot 26 and a spring retaining slot 27.

The channel member 28 has parallel sides 29, 30, connected at the bottom at 31 and corresponding web slots 32, 33 in the sides.

A guide pin 34 in the nature of a rivet, extends between the sides and through the motion limiting slot 26 in the side plate and a similar guide pin 35, extends through slot 27 and forms an abutment for the coiled spring 36 seated in that slot and bearing against the opposite end wall 37 of the slot.

This fitting may be released as the one first described by gripping the exposed finger hold 24 of the slide and the opposite end 38 of the channel bteween the fingers to retract the slide and its holding shoulder 19 from engagement with the anchorage.

The spring may be provided to supplement the spring holding effect of the web, as illustrated, or be arranged to provide the sole holding effect.

What is claimed is:

1. Self-locking web tiedown gear, comprising in combination,

an anchorage having spaced supporting shoulders,

a channel member having spaced substantially parallel side walls,

a plate member slidingly confined between said side walls,

said members being relatively shiftable longitudinally to effect extension of one member from a non-projecting to a projecting position and vice versa, and having an overall length to enter between said spaced supporting shoulders of the anchorage in the nonprojecting position, of the same.

the projecting one of said members having a locking shoulder positioned to engage in back of one of the supporting shoulders on the anchorage in said projecting position of the same,

said members having web receiving slots of the same length and equal to the width of the web with which the gear is used,

said web receiving slots being located in registration,

with said members in said relatively projecting locking position, and

a web of compressible material extending through said slots and of a width substantially equal to the length of said slots and thereby yieldingly holding said members with the slots in alignment and the members locked to the anchorage but yieldable under lateral pressure to permit return to said non-protruding position unlocked from the anchorage.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the channel member is of folded sheet metal of lighter material than the plate member and in which the plate member is of heavier material than the channel member and is the projecting member, slidably confined in the channel member.

3. Self locking end fitting for web tiedown, comprising companion channel and plate members, said plate member slidingly confined in said channel member and said two members having web receiving slots extending longitudinally of the same, of equal length and equal to the width of the web with which the fitting is to be used,

said plate member having a locking shoulder at one end positioned to project at that end when said members are disposed with the web receiving slots therein in alignment,

a web extending through said slots and of a width substantially equal to the length of said slots,

spring means for yieldingly holding said members with the web receiving slots therein in alignment, and

said plate member having a handhold exposed at the same end of the same as said locking shoulder for application of hand pressure to overcome said holding effect of said spring means.

4. A self-locking end fitting for web tiedowns comprising companion channel and plate members, said plate members, said plate member being slidably confined in said channel member,

said two members having aligning web receiving slots extending longitudinally of the same,

said plate member having a locking shoulder at one end positioned to project at that end when said members are longitudinally shifted in that direction and to stand in non-projecting relation when said members are in alignment,

said plate member having a longitudinally extending motion restricting slot and a longitudinally extending spring receiving slot,

pins extending between the sides of said channel mem' ber through said slots,

and a spring seated in said spring receiving slot bearing at one end against the pin projecting through said slot and at the opposite end against the adjoining end wall of said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1962 Elsner 369 XR 4/1965 Cech 24-265 

1. SELF-LOCKING WEB TIEDOWN GEAR, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN ANCHORAGE HAVING SPACED SUPPORTING SHOULDERS, A CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SIDE WALLS, A PLATE MEMBER SLIDINGLY CONFINED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID MEMBERS BEING RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE LONGITUDINALLY TO EFFECT EXTENSION OF ONE MEMBER FROM A NON-PROJECTING TO A PROJECTING POSITION AND VICE VERSA, AND HAVING AN OVERALL LENGTH TO ENTER BETWEEN SAID SPACED SUPPORTING SHOULDERS OF THE ANCHORAGE IN THE NONPROJECTING POSITION, OF THE SAME. THE PROJECTING ONE OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A LOCKING SHOULDER POSITIONED TO ENGAGE IN BACK OF ONE OF THE SUPPORTING SHOULDERS ON THE ANCHORAGE IN SAID PROJECTING POSITION OF THE SAME, SAID MEMBERS HAVING WEB RECEIVING SLOTS OF THE SAME LENGTH AND EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE WEB WITH WHICH THE GEAR IS USED, SAID WEB RECEIVING SLOTS BEING LOCATED IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID MEMBERS IN SAID RELATIVELY PROJECTING LOCKING POSITION, AND A WEB OF COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOTS AND OF A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID SLOTS AND THEREBY YIELDINGLY HOLDING SAID MEMBERS WITH THE SLOTS IN ALIGNMENT AND THE MEMBERS LOCKED TO THE ANCHORAGE BUT YIELDABLY UNDER LATERAL PRESSURE TO PERMIT RETURN TO SAID NON-PROTRUDING POSITION UNLOCKED FROM THE ANCHORAGE. 